Suffolk County Council’s Post

We have this absurd situation in #Mahoning County #Ohio (widely known commercially as the #VoltageValley) where several townships have petitioned to restrict or ban large solar and/or wind farms. There is a hearing February 15, 2024 5:30 pm in #Canfield on the matter. It seems to me that if you are 1) a landowner wishing to realize passive income on your own land (even while still farming or grazing) or care about those who do (private property), 2) part of our business community continuing the transition to the next economy, 3) directly part of the move to #RenewableEnergy, 4) or care about #ClimateChange you should attend to counteract this misinformed policy idea. Mahoning County, Eric Ungaro (I'm a Poland resident), we vote too. Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber BRITE Energy Innovators - anyone else I should tag? #RenewableFuture - I am FOR reasonable design, construction, management regulations. "Notice is hereby given that there is before the Board of County Commissioners of Mahoning County, Ohio the matter of the restrictions to prohibit the construction of large solar and/or wind farms, pursuant to Ohio Revised Code Section 303.58, in the unincorporated areas of Austintown, Beaver, Berlin, Canfield, Coitsville, Goshen, Jackson, Milton, Poland, and Springfield Townships. There will be a public meeting held at 5:30 p.m., on Thursday, February 15, 2024 at McMahon Hall located at 7574 Columbiana-Canfield Rd, Canfield, Ohio 44406. Notices will be posted, including a map of the affected area, in all public libraries in Mahoning County. Written testimony can be sent to the attention of the Clerk at Mahoning County Commissioners Office, Suite 200, 21 W. Boardman Street, Youngstown, Ohio 44503 for consideration. By Order of the Board of County Commissioners"

We just did our first event, so I think the cat's out of the bag... we're helping co-op owners organize and campaign for resources that can help them comply with Local Law 97, NYC's ambitious goal to cut building pollution. For the last eight months, I've been traveling around NYC meeting with market-rate co-op owners, talking with mutual support organizations, and hearing from affordable housing advocacy groups about what these buildings need. The policies we're pushing for (near-term tax abatements for affordable housing retrofits, making the solar tax credit refundable, Bucks for Boilers) would benefit a much broader pool of New York families than just those who live in co-ops, but organizing co-op shareholders is important because their unique form of working- and middle-class homeownership is often excluded from existing incentives and resources. This is part of Spring Street's new emphasis: Identifying coherent constituencies of people who benefit from specific climate policies and organizing them to take action. Not just "people who breathe air" or "people who are worried about the future," but people whose lives would be immediately improved on a day-to-day basis if we passed specific policies. You can check out our new website here: https://lnkd.in/esVzmQMb

The United States is home to as many as 10,000 closed landfills and dumps. That's a lot of big brownfields! Landfill reuse can be complicated, which is why we asked Christina Rain,PE, Senior Project Manager for Langan to help break down the price. Learn more about how landfill reuse can improve communities on our blog: https://loom.ly/4pSlQ60 Register for CALRC to hear Christina speak during the session "PFASter than a Speeding Bullet" which will provide an in-depth analysis of new per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance guidance and how it will impact brownfields and due diligence. https://loom.ly/KqnyqA8

NEW report from @amprog and @ncelenviro on all the ways states can lead on #conservation, with examples in action across the country, including Oregon’s Natural and Working Lands Fund! Check it out to learn more! 🏞️🌄🏜️ https://lnkd.in/essp2gtn

What is a “Brownfield” and why does it matter? 🤷♀️ A brownfield is a site (like an old abandoned building) where the presence or potential presence of contamination makes reuse or redevelopment difficult. Many communities, including rural communities like Schuyler, Nebraska, often lack the resources to take on the redevelopment of these sites, or even to assess what might be there. This $500k US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfields Assessment Grant will help Schuyler determine what they might find inside these old buildings, like the municipal power plant, and come up with a reuse plan to benefit the community! #brownfields #thatspower #epa #region7 #grants #schuyler #nebraska

Earlier today, I had the opportunity to offer public comments on the proposed Lead and Copper Rule Improvements on behalf of the New York League of Conservation Voters. One of the "improvements" suggested by EPA would be to give big cities with more than 100,000 lead pipes more time to replace them rather than following the 10-year timeline for the rest of the country. While that might sound reasonable, consider this: New York City has nearly 347,000 lead or possible lead service lines, 40% of which are located in Disadvantaged Communities. Under the LCRI proposal, lead pipe removal in NYC could go on for up to 35 years, ironically creating a profound environmental injustice whereby wealthier and whiter communities outside of New York City would be assured cleaner drinking water decades before the city’s low income communities and communities of color. Rather than creating a two-tiered system, the EPA should have one standard of up to 10-years for lead pipe removal for all Americans regardless of race, socioeconomic status, or the zip code that they happen to live in, whether it’s in East Hampton or East Harlem.

Today is the 55th Earth Day, the largest day of secular protest in the world, meant to organize action and prompt legislation to protect the environment. In Maine, there are Earth Day clean-up events happening in Fort Kent, Houlton and Naples. Check the link below for more info. And it's great to see that Maine will be receiving $62m from the Biden administration's $7b Solar For All grant program. We want Mainers to treat every day like it's Earth Day–making informed choices, being active in our politics, and acting as thoughtful stewards of our natural environment. To that end, don't forget the very best way to make our solar dollars stretch: using them to power well-insulated, well-sealed and highly efficient buildings! Find an Earth Day clean-up near you: https://lnkd.in/gXQDRy87 More about the Solar For All grant announcement: https://lnkd.in/gv_9wpsf #passivehouse #highefficiency #lowcarbon #nocarbonfuture #passivedesign #retrofitting

Irvine's new Gateway Village asks future homeowners to waive their right to sue the nearby Bowerman Landfill. As this landfill ramps up operations, what does this mean for residents? 📊 Key Points: New Neighborhood: Gateway Village, near Bowerman Landfill. Legal Waiver: Homeowners must sign away rights to sue the landfill. Increased Traffic: 40% more trash truck traffic is expected. Disclosures: Efforts to improve transparency on environmental hazards. #realestateagent #irvineca #housingcrisis #environmentalissues #communitynews

#StormwaterManagement #Philadelphia #PhiladelphiaWaterDepartment #PWD "Are you a Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) customer and owner of a non-residential property in the city? You may be eligible for a stormwater grant to help you manage runoff on your property. You may also qualify for stormwater credits to reduce your monthly stormwater charge. What is stormwater? The easiest way to think of stormwater is to see it as water draining into the sewer system when it rains. A natural environment would absorb this water into the ground. But, in a city like Philadelphia, it runs off roofs and pavements, onto streets, and into storm drains. In some parts of the city, stormwater picks up dirt, oil, and other pollutants and then flows into waterways, such as creeks and rivers. In other areas, it mixes with sewage and residential waste and is treated at one of the City’s three wastewater treatment plants. When stormwater is not managed properly, it can pollute Philly’s rivers. Neighborhoods may even experience flooding as a result. Stormwater management The City of Philadelphia manages stormwater by building and maintaining networks of pipes and drains that carry stormwater to local rivers and treatment plants. The goal is to reduce stormwater and combined sewer overflow entering Philadelphia streams. Additionally, the City awards millions of dollars in Stormwater Grants each year to qualifying property owners to help them manage runoff. You can use the funds for environmentally friendly projects, such as fixing drainage problems, planting trees, or landscaping your property. In technical terms, these projects are called Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI). By installing these green projects, you: Beautify your property, Reduce the stormwater charge on your water bill, Reduce stormwater pollution in Philadelphia’s creeks and rivers, and Help reduce flooding in Philadelphia neighborhoods during rainstorms. Who’s eligible? You are eligible for a stormwater grant if your Philly property is non-residential, condominium, or multi-family residential, and you plan to develop green projects (see examples above) on your site. These projects help protect the environment by reducing combined sewer overflows entering Philadelphia’s creeks and rivers. For example, you qualify for this grant if you own a commercial property like an office or a shopping center. Owners of institutional properties like schools also qualify. Houses of worship are also eligible for a stormwater grant. ..."

In case you haven't heard the news yet, the EPA has selected MACOG to lead a Brownfields assessment coalition grant of $1,500,000 to update the brownfields inventory and conduct 27 Phase I and 35 Phase II environmental site assessments! Grant funds also will be used to conduct cleanup and reuse planning for 14 sites and support community engagement activities. Assessment activities will focus on cities and towns in a four-county region, including the town of Argos, and the cities of Elkhart, South Bend, Warsaw, and Plymouth. Priority sites include a 3,300-square-foot former gas station, a 15.9-acre former locomotive repair facility, and a 2.6-acre abandoned bulk oil storage facility. https://loom.ly/TLDgGPA